Obama called discrimination "an affront" to the values that make the U.S. a great nation

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President Barack Obama is given a rose by Sophia Ahmadinejad, 2, and her parents Zainab Ahmadinejad and Mohammad Hussein Ahmadinejad, right, while greeting guests at an Eid al-Fitr reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington on July 21, 2016.

President Barack Obama says discriminating against Muslim Americans "feeds the lie" that the West is at war with their religion.

He also says that singling them out isn't smart for national security.

In comments Thursday at a White House reception commemorating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Obama called discrimination "an affront" to the values that make the U.S. a great nation.

Ramadan actually ended earlier this month, and Obama joked that the advantage of holding the event late is that his Muslim guests are not as hungry as they would have been a few weeks ago. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during the holiday.